


"Remember when Pike taught us Morse Code?" "I slept through most of Earth Skills."

by RoTheWriter



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, High School AU, Slowburn but not that slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-11 07:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20149906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoTheWriter/pseuds/RoTheWriter
Summary: Wells and Clarke have been your stereotypical nerdy best friends for - well - ever.So if Clarke starts accidentally hanging out with the cool kids when Wells falls off the radar, you can't blame a girl for having a little fun, right?Basically, a self indulgent High School Fic.





	1. In which Clarke finally goes to the damn Dropship.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!
> 
> This is me trying to be excited about back to school season. 
> 
> I've got a lot of the chapters written, they just needed editing (my spelling is great at 3am when I decide to write), so I'll be updating regularly. 
> 
> Title from 6x07.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! x

"Assholes," Wells says as Bellamy Blake and his posse push past him and into the Chem lab.   
Ready to say something, Clarke makes eye contact with a scowling Raven Reyes. The retort gets caught on her tongue.   
"Come on Wells," she says dragging Wells to their seats.   
The other group don't say anything, sitting down at the back. Jasper Jordan is laid across the desk "paint me like one of your French girls" style. He smiles and winks at Clarke when he sees her looking but she turns away, her blonde braid flipping dramatically.   
"Ah, come on Princess! Don't be so coy," Raven calls out, which makes Clarke cringe.   
Professor Pike enters and the lesson begins, putting an end to the heckling. 

At the end of the lesson Pike tells the class that there would be a test next Friday on the topic that they'd just finished. Clarke hears the group at the back groan, and then in turn, Wells huff at them in annoyance,   
"It's not like it's senior year or anything, is it?" He says sarcastically.   
Clarke just looks back at the group. She doesn't get it, they're smart, some of the smartest in the year. She just doesn't understand why they don't participate as much in class to get extra credit.   
In looking back once again, Clarke makes eye contact with Bellamy. The dark haired boy looks back, daring, and as if he could hear Clarke's thoughts he says to his friends whilst not looking away,   
"Dropship anyone?"   
Clarke is knocked out of any thoughts she has by Wells' backpack hitting against her as he throws it over his shoulder.   
"Ow."   
"Sorry Clarke," Wells says and Clarke decides to just leave as quickly as possible a little embarrassed, knowing that Bellamy had definitely seen that. 

They have a study period next, so Clarke and Wells head to the outdoor eating area to do some work. Being the start of the school year and almost lunchtime the sun is high in the sky and the warmth sits comfortably on her skin as they sit down and begin to revise.   
"Pomodoro method?" Wells asks and Clarke, half-focused, nods as she watches the popular group pile into Bellamy's truck, heading to the Dropship – the local hipster coffee shop.   
Wells seems to notice her looking at them.   
"They're so annoying," he says, "who leaves during a study when our final exams are this year?"   
"I know, what's the point?"   
"Hey, are you still coming to mine after school?"   
"Yeah, what are we revising?"   
"I was thinking we could do the Algebra homework and then study some history?"   
"Yeah, sounds good." 

Later on, Wells and Clarke drive back to the Jaha household in their separate cars. Usually they study until it gets dark and then eat whatever's in the cupboards, they've got themselves into a comfortable routine over the years. The Jaha house is always quiet and cold at first entry, and they usually stick to the snug so that the overwhelming emptiness doesn't become too apparent.   
Tonight is different however, because Wells' father is home at the same time as them for the first time in months, and he has guests. Colleagues, Clarke presumes, from their fancy suits, dead-to-the-world eyes and fake smiles.   
"Clarke," the man says as they walk into the house, "what a pleasant surprise,"   
"Thelonious," Clarke says with a smile, already knowing that she'll be leaving in half an hour.   
And she does, once the algebra homework is all finished she hugs Wells and his father, gives a polite smile to the guests and leaves with the excuse that her mother has important guests over for dinner tonight (true, but it's the reason why she's been allowed to stay out tonight – as they want to discuss funding for one of the wards at Abby's hospital).   
Sat in her car, Clarke isn't sure where to go, so she just begins to drive.   
We Are Young by fun. begins to play on her spotify playlist. It's a song contradictory to her surroundings as she drives almost aimlessly round her neighbourhood. That is, until she drives by the Dropship and is drawn in by a sudden urge, turning into the car park at the last second. 

She doesn't expect to see the group, per se, but maybe a part of her had assumed that they never did anything else. Still, they aren't there and so Clarke sits down with the black coffee she had ordered and gets on with doing some of the extra reading that she'd been planning. The copy of Horaces Odes is intimidating, but knowing that even a basic knowledge of the stories would help her essay on Ernest Dowson's 'Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae' and would catch the teacher's attention for potential extra credit, gives her the motivation to push through.   
"Clarke, Clarke Griffin?" A girl's voice asks and Clarke looks up, a little startled.   
There's a girl stood in front of her, wearing black tapered trousers and a white button down unbuttoned low enough that the statement long necklace is visible. The girl smiles, and Clarke can't pretend to not know her.   
"Lexa Woods,"   
"Long time, no see, Griffin," Lexa says, sliding into the seat across from her and look around at the spread of revision she adds, "Same old, same old?"   
"Pretty much, what about you? Heard you got some fancy internship at that Tri Kru Solicitors Firm?"   
"Yeah, it's tough, but..."   
"You're loving it?" Clarke guesses and Lexa smiles, "You always did thrive under pressure."   
"God, it has been far, far too long. Why didn't we stay in touch?"   
You broke my heart.   
"You went to college, I couldn't keep up with all of your early completed years to be honest," Clarke adds a laugh so that it doesn't sound so bitter.   
"Do my parents really mention it that much?" Lexa asks, still smiling.   
"Only every time I see them, 'Lexa finished college two years early, don't you know!'"   
Lexa laughs at the impression of her mother,   
"Hey, I'm going to a party Saturday night at a friend's house, you wanna come? You can stay at my apartment afterwards, and we can tell your mum that we're having a movie night."  
Clarke hesitates, she's never been to an actual party before. She didn't suppose school dances or family-business evenings really counted. Fuck it.   
"I'd love to."


	2. In which Clarke goes to a party with her ex-(?)girlfriend(?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Le Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a short one, sorry, but I'll be uploading everyday for the next week (hopefully).
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

So, that’s the exact chain of events that leads Clarke to walking into a college party.   
She feels like a giddy loved-up sixteen year old again on Lexa's arm. They enter the party looking like a couple, to be fair. Lexa's practically dragging Clarke around by her hand, introducing her to almost everyone at the party.   
When it becomes too much for her, Clarke heads upstairs in search of a bathroom. Instead she finds Raven sat in a bathtub, very, very drunk, with mascara running down her face.   
"Clarke?" She asks, clearly as confused as Clarke is.   
Clarke hesitates at the door.   
"Come in, and lock the door."   
She does, and sits on the toilet, lid down, obviously. It's awkward for a second and Raven seems spaced out, as if she's forgotten that she's there. Finally she pulls out her phone and passes it to Clarke.   
"02/05/01," Raven says and Clarke types it in, "Finn's birthday."   
Clarke cringes.   
"I don't blame you, you know?"   
"What?" Clarke asks.   
"I said that I don't blame you. I was stupid to get angry at you, I read the messages he sent you," Raven looks round at Clarke and smiles sadly, "I can't believe he said that I cheated on him, dick."   
"I shouldn't have believed him."   
"You didn't know me, and he's a charming motherfucker. In summary, I don't hate you and I'm a bitch for giving you death stares."   
"That's okay, I would have hated me too."   
Raven smiles.   
"Could you ring Bellamy for me? I'm too drunk to read the screen."   
Clarke types in Bellamy but he doesn't come up.   
"Oh, shit, yeah, he's saved as Dad. Don't ask,"   
Clarke laughs, slightly worried that she's stumbled into some kinky relationship,   
"Okay,"   
She calls 'Dad' on loud speaker. Bellamy picks up after almost immediately,   
"Reyes," He says and there's a beat of silence because Raven has spaced out again.   
"Raven?" He asks, more concerned.   
"Blakeeeeeeee," Raven says, "you know you love me?"   
There's a pause,   
"What do you need?"   
Raven sobs at this point, as if she's giving up.   
"Ca-can you come pick me up?"   
Clarke feels like this is too intimate, but there's nowhere else to go.   
"I thought you were with that new college guy- Nick?"   
"Wick - turns out he's not here. His friend was logged into his facebook and tried to- tried to have sex with me."   
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."   
Once the phone call ends, Raven seems to try to sober up. She wipes the tears from her face, smudging the mascara trails even more.   
"So, Princess, what the hell are you doing here? Got some secret college boyfriend? I don't think Wells will be too happy," She says with a wry smile.   
"My friend Lexa dragged me out, well, she's more of a family friend,"   
"And where is she now?"   
Clarke shrugs, but has the sudden urge to check her phone.   
4 missed calls from Lexa Woods.   
"Calling me apparently."   
"You should get back to her."   
"No-" Clarke answers, "no, that's okay. You look like you could use a- a friend right now."   
"I think I broke his nose."   
"Who?"   
"The guy who tried to have sex with me. He wouldn't stop, I was scared he might rape me."   
"Good."   
Raven nods, as if she was trying to get confirmation in the first place.   
"What's his name?"   
"What you gonna do Clarke? You're not some vigilante Princess by night are you?"   
Clarke keeps a straight face, still waiting for the answer.   
"Dax, Dax Turner."   
Clarke is about to respond when Raven's phone starts to ring again. Bellamy. 

When Bellamy enters the room, he takes one glance at Clarke brows furrowed before helping to lift Raven out of the bath, supporting the leg with a brace.   
"Right, am I taking you back to your mum's or mine?" He asks Raven and she just gives him one of those Really kind of looks. He huffs out a laugh before looking up at Clarke, "You?"   
"Oh, I'm good. I'm here with a friend."   
Bellamy nods as if to say Alright then, before he helps Raven out of the bathroom and they leave.   
Clarke sits for another minute, a little startled that Bellamy Fucking Blake just asked her if she wanted a lift home from him. And, Raven Bloody Reyes just told her that she doesn't hate her. Weird night.   
She finally picks up the phone to Lexa and explains that she was helping some drunk girl in the bathroom. Lexa says that she needs to get drunk at least once in senior year, so she does.   
She ends up on a sofa with Lexa and some of her friends. Everyone's either drunk, high or both. Being pressed up to Lexa like this is confusing Clarke in so many ways, so she keeps drinking until it's just funny. The boy to her left doesn't seem to feel the underlying tension however because his hand keeps edging onto Clarke's knee and up her thigh. She pushes him away several times before he says.   
"Come on baby, let's have some fun," whilst trying to drag her from the sofa towards one of the bedrooms.   
"Dax, leave Lexa's girlfriend alone would you," One of the higher guys says.   
Clarke is caught between denying that she's Lexa's girlfriend and staring at the boy who had tried to rape Raven only a few hours ago. Clarke is sure his nose isn't broken, but she can fix that. She swings. Lexa and she leave the party just as the ambulance pulls up.   
"Clarke Elizabeth Griffin, who knew you were such a badass?" Lexa says, half skipping in her heels.   
Clarke laughs, the alcohol making her feel invincible.   
Said alcohol, Clarke will later blame, is the only reason why Clarke ends up in Lexa's bed at the end of the night – for the first time since Lexa left for college.


	3. In which Clarke goes upstairs in the Dropship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! x

Monday is weird. Maybe even weirder than Saturday.   
The comments and general dick-ery don't stop towards Wells, but Clarke now seems exempt from any of it. Raven stops giving her bitch stares, Bellamy doesn't smirk at her, to be fair he hardly ever looks at her, and the general attitude of the group seems to calm down towards her.   
She doesn't mention the Raven and Bellamy situation to Wells, in fact, she doesn't mention the party or Lexa at all. Turning seventeen in the September after Lexa had left was confusing enough. Whilst all of her classmates seemed to be in relationships, Clarke was still head over heels in love with Lexa. This time around she was determined to keep it casual.   
To add to the weirdness, Raven adds her on Snapchat. She doesn't say anything, and so Clarke just watches as every story she puts up of Wells and her studying has Raven watch it. 

When Theolonious is at the Jaha household again on Friday night, Clarke makes her way to studying at the Dropship again. Once she's sat down, black coffee again, she gets an unexplainable and utterly illogical urge to add to her story. Blocking Wells, just for today, so he doesn't feel bad, Clarke puts on a story of her coffee and Horaces Odes on her story with the "Dropship" location filter over it.   
She puts her phone down, not sure why she had just done that. But it lights up almost instantly with 'Raven Reyes is typing...'.   
Clarke waits a second when the message comes through, not wanting to seem desperate. As she slides open the message she receives an actual snap from Raven.   
'Princess hitting up our spot now?'   
The picture is of Raven and Jasper with a funny filter on it pulling faces – as if to say that she wasn't being mean in the message. Whilst trying to come up with a response, Clarke receives another snap, this time a video of Raven walking somewhere with the caption   
'Wait there, I'm coming to see you'.   
Clarke smiles, and snaps back a photo of just one side of her face saying   
'Okay, see you'.   
Clarke gets back to the work she was doing, wondering how close Raven must live if she was going to walk there.   
"Hey,"   
Clarke looks up, startled that Raven managed to get there so quickly.   
"Uh- hey," She says.   
Raven sits on the stool across from her, pulling up her leg casually like it didn't even bother her anymore.   
"This is gonna sound weird, but do you want to revise with me and my group?" Raven asks, a little sheepishly.   
Clarke is a little shocked. Raven should hate her, but she doesn't seem to.   
"Sure, when?"   
"Right now," Raven says.   
"Where?"   
"Oh, you didn't know? Bellamy lives upstairs,"   
That makes so much sense.   
"I didn't, that's cool. Are you sure your friends will be fine with me coming?"   
Raven gives her a look, like she could make anyone do anything she wants, so Clarke follows.   
They head through the store room and up some starkly lit stairs with a naked bulb, up to a door that Raven lets herself into. The lighting immediately shifts to a warm and soft yellow light that Clarke is used to seeing in movies when a director wants the shot to be the epitome of a homely setting.   
There's a large leather sofa taking up the left side of the room - which seems to be a living room, kitchen and dining area combined into one - and everyone is piled on or around it.   
"Hey Clarke," Jasper says, "joining the study crew?"   
Clarke nods,   
"If that's okay?"   
"Of course it is," Monty says.   
"Move over," Raven says, shoving Murphy off of the sofa so that she and Clarke can sit and revise.   
"Sorry," Clarke says but Murphy just shrugs.   
To her surprise, the group really do seem to be revising, maybe she and Wells shouldn't judge so harshly.   
One of the doors opens and Bellamy walks in, raising an eyebrow at Clarke.   
"Non Sum Qualis?" He asks and she looks down at Horace's Odes in her lap.   
"Uh, yeah," Clarke had forgotten that Bellamy did the same AP Lit class. Bellamy nods before sitting on the chair to her left that everybody had left clear for him. Clarke has never once spoken to Bellamy before now, so she has no idea what possesses her to speak again, "please tell me you're the only one referencing this in the essay."   
Bellamy's eyes look up at her over his textbook, and raises an eyebrow. Clarke feels like she should have just left it.   
"Yeah, me and all my friends in my AP classes are sharing context tips," he deadpans.   
"Bellamy, you don't have to make Clarke feel bad for your own issues making friends," a girl says as she walks out of one of the rooms, she looks over to Clarke and says, "hey."   
"Hey," Clarke says back.   
"That's Octavia, Bellamy's sister," Bellamy's friend Lincoln whispers to Clarke from where he's sat cross-legged next to the coffee table.   
That's exactly how she ends up in Bellamy Blake's apartment studying with all of his friends.


	4. In which Clarke makes new friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy x

Clarke doesn't see or even hear from Wells all weekend and she gets steadily more worried about him. On Monday he texts her that he's gone to the Jaha Cabin for a week. Lord knows what that means. What that does mean for sure though, is that Clarke has nobody at school.   
It's happened before, the odd day where Wells had to make trips with his father, or even that God awful time when he'd been off for two days when he was ill. But never for this long. It's going to be a long week.   
Clarke prepares for it, the awkwardness of sitting alone. But at lunch her phone starts buzzing with the message:   
'Raven Reyes wants to Snapchat Call..."   
Clarke picks up.   
"Hey, where's Wells?" Raven asks.   
"He's...on holiday,"   
"Come sit with us."   
"Are you sure?"   
"Come on Clarke."   
Clarke looks round and spots the group sat across a table and the stairs up to the cafeteria.   
Standing and heading their way, Clarke questions her sanity.   
These people are the ones who Clarke and Wells have hated for years, who have disrupted classes, who've made fun of the two of them, basically, the people who Clarke should never be friendly with.   
"Hey!" Jasper shouts as she moves to sit with the group, Lincoln making room for her on the ledge.   
"Hey," Clarke says, settling down and pulling her salad out of her bag, "how are you guys?"   
"We're just discussing Octavia's date night tonight," Raven says and Bellamy gives her a death stare.   
"It's not a date," Bellamy says, "It's a study night with her friend, who just so happens to be male,"   
"Hmm," Raven teases, but she winks at Bellamy, "anyway, we're all basically homeless now because Octavia's kicking us out of the dropship for the night."   
"Yeah, how dare she?" Monty jokes.   
"You could hang at my place," Clarke suggests, which is, she'll admit, crazy, "If you want."   
"Really?" Raven asks, "your parents wouldn't mind."   
Clarke cringes internally, but maintains a straight face.   
"Night shifts."   
"God, this is going to be great!" Raven says.   
"When's a good time for us to come over?" Lincoln asks.   
"Whenever, I have a free house all night,"   
"I'll be later than the others," Bellamy adds, "I have a shift."   
"What time do you get off?" Clarke asks.   
"6, uh, if that's not too late," Bellamy says, and Clarke is surprised at how awkward he seems, maybe he doesn't like discussing the fact that he works.   
"Sounds good, do you want me to come and pick you up?"   
Bellamy looks up, clearly startled. He looks as if he may accept before he shakes his head, stoic again,   
"No, it's okay,"   
"Clarke, is there any way I could get a lift?" Raven asks sheepishly.   
"Sure, text me your address when you're ready."   
"Speaking of which..." Raven says, doing something on her phone.   
Clarke gets two notifications:   
Raven Reyes added you to a groupchat.   
And then   
Raven Reyes is typing...   
Clarke opens it up and is greeted by a groupchat called "The Delinquents".   
The message is Raven's phone number.   
"What's the deal with the name?" Clarke asks.   
"Oh, it's - it's an inside joke from freshman year when Wells' dad made that speech where he called us the next 100 scientists, politicians etc. and then looked at our group when he said others will be the next 100 delinquents" Raven says.   
"To be fair, Wells and I made jokes about that speech - "pioneers of the future"," Clarke says, mocking the older Jaha, "Thelonious can be a bit clueless."   
The group laugh, and she feels some level of guilt. 

Whilst Clarke is waiting for the go ahead to pick up Raven she adds the rest of the group on snapchat. The only problem is working out who is who from their nicknames.   
Raving Reyes is easy, and she figures out who Dad is from having to call Bellamy at the party. She changes that one immediately, now Bellamy Blake.   
She figures out the rest from their bitmojis.   
There's O – Octavia, Cockroach – Murphy, Grinder – Lincoln and Jasper and Monty as Thing One and Thing Two respectively.   
Clarke hesitates to add Bellamy, wary of how much he seemed to dislike her presence in the group.   
She's saved from any decision making by Raven texting her the address. 

When she pulls up to Raven's house the girl is stood outside of her house looking defiant but also on the edge of tears.   
Raven jumps in, and doesn't say anything. Clarke gives her a minute before silently handing over her phone for music.   
Raven searches for a minute before putting on Bet by Octavian.   
Clarke surprises her by knowing all of the lyrics, and it makes Raven giggle.   
"I'm sorry," Raven says.   
"You don't have to be sorry," Clarke says, "you wanna talk about it?"   
"My mum's a bit shit, and my dad isn't around. It stresses me out sometimes but that's life, so it's okay."   
"That's shitty."   
"I'm okay, college soon anyway."   
"Well, you can stay with me anytime it gets stressful."   
Raven turns to look at her,   
"Thank you. You know, to say that you and Bellamy don't really like each other, you're actually really similar,"   
"Bellamy and I?" Clarke asks, half laughing, "I don't think so,"   
"You really are you know."   
They pull up to Murphy's house, only a few streets from Raven's and they leave the topic as soon as he jumps in.   
"Am I picking up anyone else?" Clarke asks.   
"Nah, everyone else has a lift," Murphy answers, "thanks by the way."   
"No problem." 

They order pizza around twenty minutes before Bellamy is due to get there, he manages to show up just minutes after the pizza had gotten there. Whilst everyone else was hyper-focused on their slices of pizza, Clarke answers the door to him.   
He looks awkward, his hands in his pockets and standing slightly further from the door than he should – he clearly wasn't sure if he was at the right house.   
"Hey," Clarke says, "Come in, pizza just got here."   
Bellamy nods and follows her in.   
"Good shift?"   
Bellamy's silent for a second before clearing his throat,   
"Uh, yeah,"   
He follows Clarke from the hallway to the open kitchen-diner-living room that they have at the back of the house and she can tell that he's having the same thoughts that the others had, at least he's keeping it to himself.   
Once the pizza is divvied-up, they all sit around revising for their different subjects. Clarke was going through the comments she had gotten back from Miss Byrne, her literature teacher, on the Non Sum Qualis essay that she had written.   
Miss Byrne was clearly pleased with the essay, giving it an A+, and leaving comments like "Great reference". At the end of the essay there's one comment in particular that catches her eye "Glad to see you and Bellamy are researching above and beyond in and out of class."   
"How did you do in the Lit essay Bellamy?" Clarke asks and Bellamy looks up a little startled.   
He holds up the work he'd been reading through to show the A+ at the top of the paper.   
"You?" He asks.   
"Same." Clarke says with a smile before looking back down, expecting the conversation to have died.   
"Hey, did you get the same comment from Byrne that she's glad we're doing extra research?"   
"Yeah,"   
Bellamy nods, and gets back to his work. He's the toughest egg to crack. Or, at least, that was Clarke's opinion. She figures that there has to be a reason why Bellamy's friends love him so much.


	5. In which Clarke realises that she has been a privileged princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xx

The following Monday Clarke is waiting in her car after parking up when Bellamy's truck pulls up beside her. When she gets out she smiles, ready to strike up conversation, but that drops when she sees Wells stood by his car staring at her, as if waiting for her to rush to him.   
Throwing a quick apologetic look to the group she heads straight to Wells.   
"Hey," she says,   
Wells nods in response, thus starting the silent treatment.   
He doesn't talk until lunchtime, which is three lessons of sitting in silence later and even then its only to ask if Clarke had completed the history essay.   
When Raven sends a snapchat video of Wells and Clarke sat in silence working, Clarke looks over to them with a huff of a laugh.   
"What's funny?" Wells asks, startling Clarke.   
"Oh, nothing, just a meme but I lost it in my feed. I'll find it for you later."   
Wells just nods, with a slight smile and gets back to his work.   
"Do you want to come over later?" Wells asks.   
Clarke looks over at the Delinquents group and then at her best friend,   
"Sure." 

Clarke is forever grateful that she and Wells have separate cars, because she's not sure she'll be able to handle Wells' silence for much longer. She picks up an incoming call from Raven whilst driving to Wells' house, obviously on loud speaker. She's met with loads of voices, obviously on a speaker too.   
"Hey!" Raven says.   
There's a chorus of "Hey Clarke" in the background from everyone else in the car.   
"Hi," Clarke says back, "what's up?"   
She faintly hears Jasper say "The sky," in the background, making Clarke smile.   
"We were just wondering how you are, considering," Raven answers.   
"Yeah, you look depressed as hell with Wells," Murphy interjects.   
"Murphy," Raven says in a warning tone.   
"Nah, it's okay. Yeah, it's been depressing as fuck, I'm heading over there now, though Wells has been giving me the silent treatment today," Clarke finally says.   
"Well, if you want to escape at any point, we're all going to the Dropship because Bellamy has the closing shift tonight," Raven tells her as Clarke pulls into Wells' drive way.   
"Yeah, I might. I'll see you later, I've got to go now." Clarke finishes up the call when she sees Wells waiting for her.   
When she gets out of the car Wells smiles,   
"Hey, call from your mom?" He asks.   
"Yeah, she's got another shift tonight," Clarke answers, a half-truth.   
Clarke has never been one to lie to her best friend. But he's never been one to disappear and go silent on her, so she thinks that they both may have changed more than they could have thought. Maybe they aren't such similar people after all.   
They head straight up to Wells' bedroom, which alerts Clarke to the fact that Theolonius is home, along with whatever business associate had their car outside. Clarke sits on the sofa in Wells' room, in the designated "living" area, but Wells sits across the room at his desk, obviously wanting to get straight back to work. After all of the studying at Bellamy's loft, Clarke is used to revising on a sofa, and so she just starts working from there.   
Wells doesn't do this. He had always been the one with all the words when he's upset, he's able to process his emotions and then let them all out in the most diplomatic talk about his situation anyone could imagine. Clarke's the one who runs from her problems, or needs someone to sit with her in silence, like Wells apparently wants Clarke to right now. But who is to say that people can't change?   
So, Clarke sits, waiting and working, hoping for the best.   
Eventually Wells speaks.   
"They're so stupid."   
Clarke hadn't noticed him on his phone, too engrossed with finishing the last of her homework for the night.   
"Who?" She asks as she picks up her phone, with 12 snapchat notifications, all from the Deliquents group chat.   
"Watch Jasper Jordan's story," he says, confusing Clarke for a second before realising that he means Instagram, on which they both have the whole year to contact them for any school-wide projects like Prom – which they really should start planning, Clarke thinks.   
The story is of Monty arranging the little milk things you get at coffee shops into a pyramid, and Murphy who side eyes it for a second and then pushes it over, the milk cartons scattering across the floor.   
"Some poor worker is going to have to clean that up," Wells says.   
Clarke admits to herself that the thought of Bellamy begrudgingly cleaning up is quite funny, and beneficial for him too, she can't imagine being stood by the counter for hours is nice. Too wrapped up in these thoughts, Clarke speaks before thinking,   
"They're just having fun."   
Wells gives her a look somewhere between disbelief and disgust,   
"What?"   
"I just think that it's not really any of our business, you know?"   
"Clarke, they've teased us for years, and disrupted all of our classes. Plus all of the teachers adore them and celebrate their bad behaviour. It'll shock them when they get into the working world."   
All of them have jobs, Clarke thinks now, some have two. Bellamy flashes to mind as Clarke realises how privileged Clarke and Wells' thought processes have been for years.   
"I think they'll do just fine,"   
"No they won't, they'll end up working minimum wage jobs, living paycheck to paycheck."   
Did we use this to motivate ourselves? Clarke wonders to herself.   
"And what would be wrong with that?"   
"Nothing, they're just wasted potential, like my dad says-"   
"Like your dad says?" Clarke interjects.   
"Yeah, like he says, they could do better if they didn't act like children."   
"We are all still children, Wells."   
"You know what I mean,"   
"No. No I don't."   
The two go silent for a while, and Clarke reads the notifications in the group chat. 

Raving Reyes: Clarkeeeee   
You should come to the Dropship 

Thing Two: Yeah Clarke, Murphy's bullying me. Need back up 

Grinder: Clarke isn't your mother, just get Bellamy to kick Murphy out 

Cockroach: Can't banish me for long, bitches   
Y'all would miss me too much 

Dad: If Clarke wants to spend the night with Jaha, you can't pester her to come.   
And stop messing with the milk guys, seriously? 

Cockroach: "Can't pester her to come" 

Thing One: StOP meSsiNG WItH thE miLK 

Raving Reyes: He need some milk   
Thought you weren't allowed on your phone at work?? 

Dad: Trust me Princess, you don't want to be here. 

Clarke hasn't heard the nickname in a while, but it doesn't seem as much of a bad word as the connotations of Bellamy saying "Jaha", which Clarke is happy about. It seems to be a step towards Bellamy not hating her, at least.   
She thinks about a response for a while. 

Clarke: Trust me, no one would want to be here. 

Bellamy responds quickly, obviously ignoring Raven's last message. His message is just the upside down smiley face emoji, but it makes Clarke smile.   
"What's so funny?" Wells asks.   
"Just something someone sent me,"   
"Oh, who?"   
Fuck it, Clarke thinks.   
"Lexa."   
"Are you being serious? You're really back at that again?"   
"We're just friends," Clarke says, "but yes, we ran into each other last week."   
Wells just huffs out a laugh, shaking his head disapprovingly.   
"You're being silly,"   
"Am I?" Clarke asks, slightly angry now, "I'm sorry, I don't remember the last time we went to a party and had fun, like actual teenagers."   
"Well, if you want to throw away your life, feel free."   
"You know what, I think I will," Clarke says as she packs up her work.   
She leaves Wells' house without his protest. He doesn't seem to care. In fact, he seems happy to be able to get back to his work. 

She makes it to the Dropship in 15 minutes, but sits in her car for a further 10 minutes composing herself.   
It's pretty dead when she finally does walk in, she counts 3 customers other than the Delinquents group. Bellamy looks somewhat happy to see her, in the first customer in a while way at least.   
"Hey," She says as she reaches the counter.   
"Hi," Bellamy says back, "what can I get you?"   
Clarke looks up at the handwritten chalkboard.   
"Uh, large hazelnut latte please."   
"Sure."   
Clarke pays with a 20 and puts the change in the half filled tip jar when Bellamy isn't looking.   
"Clarke!" The group shouts as she moves to join them, careful not to spill her coffee.   
"How'd it go with Wells?" Monty asks.   
"We had an argument."   
"What about?" Raven asks, everyone now intrigued.   
"We disagree about whether or not I should be friends with this college girl,"   
"The one who took you to the party?" Ravens asks and, when Clarke nods, says "Well I'm just insulted that we aren't the first friends you've had that are disapproved of by Wells Jaha."   
"I'm impressed, way to go Clarke, more of a rebel than we imagined," Murphy adds, leaning in to high five her.   
"What's so bad about her?" Lincoln asks with a smile, and a look in his eyes that makes you feel like he's really thoroughly interested.   
"She was friends with both of us when we were younger, but kind of ditched us when she went to college. Wells thinks I shouldn't talk to her. I mean, I get where he's coming from, but it's..."   
"Your life. Do whatever you want as long as your safe," Lincoln says.   
"Speaking of which, my dearest pal Clarke Griffin, would you please come with us to a party Friday night? Bellamy said he'll drive and we're all staying over here if going home drunk is a problem with your parents." Raven pleads.   
"Sounds great," Clarke says, not needing much persuasion, she had just told Wells that they need to experience like actual teens.


End file.
